Stefanos Tsitsipas Survives Kovacevic Scare at Almaty Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas Survives Aleksandar Kovacevic Battle at Almaty Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 on Tuesday at the Almaty Open, winning a tough opening battle between players utilizing one-handed backhands. The indoor ATP 250 tournament in Kazakhstan tested the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who saved three set points in a tense first-set tie-break before sealing the victory in two hours, according to ATP Tour.

Entering Tuesday’s Round of 32 match at the Almaty Arena, betting markets listed Tsitsipas as a heavy -455 favorite, reflecting an implied win probability of 82 percent, while Kovacevic sat as a +310 underdog with a 24.4 percent implied probability, alongside odds of +650 to win the tournament compared to Tsitsipas’s +5000 tournament odds. Ahead of the clash, it was highlighted that Kovacevic’s recent head-to-head success as an indicator that the American warranted closer attention from oddsmakers, with ‘Aleksandar Kovacevic +1.5 Set Handicap’ rated as a value selection at odds of +110. Entering the match, world No. 39 Tsitsipas held a 2026 match record of 30-22 and a 70-59 set record, averaging 7.8 aces per match and 100 break points won, while world No. 82 Kovacevic held a 19-29 2026 match record and a 52-70 set record, with 9.8 aces per match and 59 break points won.

Those expectations bore out on the court as Kovacevic pressed the Greek star with heavy serving. Tsitsipas pointed to his resilience as the difference-maker under pressure.

My persistence, Tsitsipas said, as reported by ATP Tour. I was trying to stay in the match and just be patient. He was serving exceptionally well today, it was really frustrating being on the other side of the court having to return.

Tsitsipas added that he believes Kovacevic has improved significantly over the past couple of months, noting the unusual nature of facing a fellow single-handed backhander in an opening round.

Late-Season Momentum and Next Round Opponents in Kazakhstan

With Tuesday’s win, Tsitsipas improved his 2026 match record to 35-22 on the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 13-time ATP Tour champion has secured 18 of those victories during a surge that began with his title run in Gstaad in mid-July.

In the second round, Tsitsipas will face home wild card Mikhail Kukushkin. Kukushkin is playing the final event before retirement. Tsitsipas holds a 4-0 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Elsewhere at the Almaty event, Sho Shimabukuro advanced to face top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev. Shimabukuro rallied from a set down to defeat Roman Safiullin 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. In another Tuesday matchup, Frenchman Terence Atmane defeated Rinky Hijikata 7-6(5), 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting against either sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Mattia Bellucci.

More on this story: Adrian Mannarino Defeats Aleksandar Vukic in Almaty · Botic van de Zandschulp Knocked Out of Shanghai Masters by Rafael Jódar